May the Fourth Be With You: Artist Behind ‘Star Wars’ Black History Month Collection Shares Perspective on Black Superheroes

Today you could hear others give the following greetings: May 4th^vol To be with you! That’s because for Star Wars fans, May 4^vol is a “catchphrase” like “May the force be with you” utilized by Jedi Masters in the movies.

According to Lucasfilm, the brand’s hometown, the earliest use of the catchy phrase dates back to “1978, one year after release.” This summer, July 4th^vol “newspaper writers used the phrase as an Independence Day gimmick.”

However, it was not until the following yr that the phrase was first used across the pond in the UK. Margaret Thatcher, the latest British Prime Minister, took office on May 4, 1979, and once more a journalist “declared in a full-page ad: ‘May the fourth be with you, Maggie.’ Congratulations!'”

This yr, ESSENCE is celebrating Star Wars Day by featuring the work of Mateus Manhanini, the Black artist behind Black History Month Star Wars Collection. Manhanini “brings his unique perspective to the saga’s black heroes and villains, including those from films, TV series, books and comics. Each is featured in an iconic location central to their character, from Greef Karga the Mandalorian and the Nevarro City Arch to Oliviah Zeveron, Jedi Knight from Star Wars: The High Republic, who stands in front of the Jedi Temple on Jedha.” According to StarWars.com.

ESSENCE: Can you tell us more about how this collaboration got here about?

Each yr, Marvel engages in promoting special comics that highlight the stories of traditionally marginalized groups through Marvel’s Voices. So these covers were like a mirrored image of this project, which used Black History Month to spotlight black characters from one in all the biggest sci-fi franchises in the world! There were 10 covers focusing on 10 different black characters from the Star Wars franchise, with their origins depicted in the background, highlighting little-known characters that had recently entered the world, or bringing back the highlight to classic characters that had been in the background.

ESSENCE: What did the experience of rendering these characters mean to you as a Black artist?

An enormous honor! I say this not only due to the weight of the name Star Wars, but because I knew this project was greater than just a set of covers, but additionally a stance, an editorial statement to decisively give a voice to the characters of color in the franchise.

ESSENCE: There has been some backlash against the newly introduced characters of color in the Star Wars universe. Why is representation so essential on this space, and what message do you hope people come away with when viewing your collection?

There is a number of discuss the presence of the black experience in the mainstream pop industry, especially in the science fiction genre. As humans, we have now this special ability to inform stories that help us construct our critical sense, understand what is true and mistaken, create legends and cultures that connect us to other people, and create positive points that help us overcome real personal obstacles . Stories, especially for us as people of color, are a robust tool to practice imagining and reflecting on a greater and more hopeful future, away from the bars and the burden of the effects of structural racism. That’s why science fiction is just perfect at this point, because the possibilities are infinite, our horizons are unimaginable, we will go far beyond what our body can do. In short, what’s incredibly wealthy is that we will have stories that talk to us about other ways of life, experiences, perspectives, and stories that don’t just treat us as mere supporting characters, whether in books, movies, comics or games.

ESSENCE: What message did you ought to convey to people viewing your works from this collection?

I just wanted this project to be a great approach to highlight the importance of getting black characters in the world of Star Wars and science fiction as an entire. We are here, we have now stories to inform, perspectives so as to add, reflections to debate. The greater the diversity of the environment, the more robust, powerful and wealthy it becomes, and this has a direct impact on the way readers begin to perceive life around them from that time on. There is more diversity and never less!